Chapter 407

The leader was a scar‑faced man; before his words even fell, more people rushed out from the dust behind him, blades flashing in their hands, their eyes full of ferocity.

The scar‑faced man came forward and only then saw that before him stood a troop whose end he could not see, uniforms identical, and his heart tightened.

They were certainly no ordinary bandits or ragtag troops—who were these people?

Shocked and doubtful, his tone grew fiercer: "Who blew that whistle just now?"

Tuan Tuan sat in Xiao Er's arms, raised the whistle and waved it: "It was me!"

She looked curiously at the scar‑faced man, her big eyes blinking: "Did you like it?"

Scar‑faced man: "……"

The hundreds of horse‑gang men behind him: "……"

"Like hell it was pleasant!"

"We thought the brothers of the horse gang had been ambushed!"

"It was a horrible mess, and it panicked us to death!"

A twitch ran through the scar‑faced man's cheek muscles as he glared at the pink‑cheeked Xiao Tuanzi before him.

He stared at the whistle in her hand, gritted his teeth and asked again: "Little brat, where did you get this whistle?"

Tuan Tuan looked utterly matter‑of‑fact and replied crisply: "Grandpa gave it to me!"

"Grandpa?"

"Which grandpa?"

The scar‑faced man and his brothers behind him exchanged bewildered glances, utterly confused.

Seeing this, Xiao Er encircled Tuan Tuan, clasped his fists and said: "Sir, may I ask—is Chief Xie Guzhou here now?"

"Elder Xuan Fu Weng, how has your health been lately?"

The scar‑faced man's gaze suddenly sharpened as he sized up Xiao Er from head to toe.

He actually dared to call the chief and the elder by name, and in such a familiar tone!

"Who are you?"

Tuan Tuan nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes! Elder Xuan Fu Weng is the grandpa who gave me this whistle!"

The scar‑faced man felt a faint throbbing in the veins at his temples.

"If you'd just said 'Elder Xuan Fu Weng' earlier, that would've settled it!"

"Grandpa? There are seven or eight old‑timers in the gang—how are we supposed to know which one you mean?"

He returned Xiao Er's salute, laughing and crying at once: "I see—you're old friends of Elder Xuan and the Chief. May I ask if you've come to see him?"

Xiao Ningxun rode forward and said: "We indeed have urgent business and wish to meet Chief Xie and Elder Xuan. Might we be granted an audience?"

The scar‑faced man, having roamed the jianghu for years with a keen eye, could tell at a glance that these people were anything but ordinary.

After a moment's thought, he clasped his fists: "Honored guests, please wait a moment."

He gave a glance to the man beside him, who spurred his horse away at full gallop.

Not long after, a urgent drumming of hooves came from the distance.

Soon, dozens of riders came galloping forward, escorting a tall, hard‑featured man—none other than Xie Guzhou, chief of the Western Ridge Horse Gang.

His gaze swept over the crowd, then landed on Tuan Tuan, and his face instantly broke into a hearty smile.

Without reining in his horse, he laughed loudly: "I was wondering who could produce such a… peculiar whistle—turns out it's you, little ancestor, who's arrived!"

A twitch crossed the scar‑faced man's mouth—who is this child that even the chief, who kills without blinking, calls her "little ancestor"?

Tuan Tuan smiled sweetly: "It's me! Uncle Xie! Where are you from?"

Xie Guzhou, just dismounting, nearly fell over at the words—this kid, when did she learn jianghu slang?

The scar‑faced man slapped his forehead—this little brat picks up speech incredibly fast!

Xiao Er could hardly keep from laughing and hastily lowered his head.

Lu Qi gave Tuan Tuan a thumbs‑up.

The Xiao brothers exchanged a glance, silently shaking their heads—"Tuan Tuan…"

Xiao Yuanhang looked at his daughter with indulgent pride: "My little girl is just smart—she learns so fast!"

Xie Guzhou looked around: "What is this?"

Xiao Ningxun dismounted and approached him: "Chief Xie, this is my father, my second brother."

Everyone dismounted and clasped their fists: "Chief Xie!"

Xie Guzhou startled: "Prince Ning?"

He recalled the notice posted at the government office, and a vague suspicion formed in his mind.

"This isn't the place to talk—you must all be weary."

"Not far ahead is one of our horse gang's warehouses—why don't we go there to rest?"

Tuan Tuan shook her head: "No way, Uncle Xie—these uncles of mine haven't had a proper meal in days. Do you have any food for them?"

The soldiers felt warm inside—"Miss, you're truly kind!"

Indeed! Xie Guzhou felt all the more certain.

He smiled and said: "Of course! If no one else has it, as soon as you ask for it, it must be there!"

He pulled out a bone whistle, pressed it to his lips and blew hard.

A few soft, clear bird calls rang out.

Moments later, a bird call with a slightly different tone answered from nearby.

Xie Guzhou put the whistle away, looked at Tuan Tuan, and said: "Rest easy—someone will bring food for them shortly."

Tuan Tuan beamed, wriggled free from Xiao Er's arms, spread her tiny arms, and cried: "Uncle Xie, you're wonderful!"

Xie Guzhou scooped her up and set her on his horse: "Uncle Xie's place just got a fine melon—you've arrived just in time!"

Xiao Ningchen furrowed his brows, "That's my sister, you rough fellow!"

Xiao Yuanhang clasped his fists: "Thank you for your trouble, Chief Xie!"

"Prince, you're too polite!" Xie Zhuzhou waved his hand, "Brothers, let's go!"

Xiao Yuanhang instructed Zhang Wu'an to set up camp on the spot, wait for the food to arrive, and let everyone have a good meal.

Everyone mounted their horses and followed Xie Zhuzhou to the horse gang's inn.

On the long wooden table sat several pots of steaming mutton soup, scorched-yellow flatbread, and honeydew melons that Xie Zhuzhou had specially ordered to be brought out.

Tuan Tuan grabbed a piece of honeydew melon and took a bite: "Wow! So sweet!"

Xie Zhuzhou ladled her a bowl of mutton soup, picked out several pieces of the fattest meat and put them in the soup, then broke off half a piece of flatbread and handed it to her.

The scar-faced man stared, astonished: "As it turns out, the chief not only knows how to kill people, but also how to look after children!"

Tuan Tuan's eyes crinkled into crescent moons when she smiled.

She obediently sat between Xiao Yuanhang and Xie Zhuzhou, her little legs swinging.

How great! Everyone can finally eat their fill again.

She looked around and asked, "Where's Grandpa?"

Xie Zhuzhou replied, "He's not in Xibei; what a pity. If he knew you were coming, he'd surely not have left."

He raised his coarse porcelain bowl and said, "Everyone, given the rush, there's not much to offer, so let's eat while we talk."

Xiao Yuanhang raised his bowl in return: "Chief Xie, you've sent charcoal in the snow."

After a few sips of hot soup, the fatigue from days of travel eased considerably.

Xiao Ran sighed, "I've never been this hungry before; it's really awful!"

Xie Zhuzhou wiped his mouth, the cheer fading from his face: "Prince, I won't waste more pleasantries. Since you're here, what exactly is going on with that notice?"

Xiao Yuanhang set down his bowl, his voice calm: "His Majesty is safe and has already led the great army on the return journey to the capital. In the border battle, our forces won a great victory, and the Emperor of Xia, Gongsun Chi, is dead."

Xie Zhuzhou's heart jolted— the Emperor of Xia had been killed?

He slapped his thigh: "I knew it! Damn, that notice is nothing but pure bullshit!"

Xiao Ningxun nodded: "Indeed, we fought hard and won, yet we were falsely accused of deserting in the face of battle."

"His Majesty clearly came in person to lead the relief, yet they claim he forced the army to march, completely reversing black and white."

Xie Zhuzhou clenched his fists until they cracked: "This bunch of scoundrels!"

Tuan Tuan, still with her head in the bowl, casually echoed: "Exactly, this bunch of scoundrels!"

Xiao Yuanhang rubbed her little head, smiled, and didn't mind at all that his daughter had picked up a vulgar phrase.

Xie Zhuzhou came from the jianghu; although his nature was ruthless and tough, the thing he respected most in life was heroes and brave men.

Seeing Prince Ning, a hero who had bled on the battlefield, suffer undeserved humiliation, his anger flared up instantly.

Xiao Yuanhang said, "Chief Xie, please calm your anger. The horse gang travels far and wide, well-informed—have you heard any rumors?"